Perfectly Placed to Headhunt Right Talent In Oman

Thanks to our strong and proven credentials, we are on top of the minds of the discerning clients headhunting for the right talent and becoming a preferred choice in the industry.

InterSearch Oman and Talent Development LLC in Oman

InterSearch Oman is part of InterSearch World Wide, an international organization of retained executive search firms operating globally. It assists companies in identifying and recruiting senior executives, specialists and difficult to fill positions on their behalf.  We use specialized recruitment methodology to ensure placement of such candidates. Executive Search is the most effective approach when the number of suitable candidates is limited or when the position is of such importance that the best available is required and the client wants to search in Oman or across several countries and confidentially is of paramount importance.

InterSearch World Wide currently has 90 offices in 50 countries including Oman.  It operates in Oman as a partner of Talent Development LLC. InterSearch Dubai operates under InterSearch Middle East FZ LLC based in the free zone in UAE.

We have conducted recruitment assignments since 1991 supported by the international partner offices. We established the first GCC office in 1998 in Dubai and have operated with clients throughout the Middle East. We decided to open an office in Oman in 2013 with Talent Development LLC.

Talent Development LLC also provides in its own right recruitment services on behalf of companies who require certain professional executives. We call it Contingent Recruitment. It therefore compliments Retained Search offered by InterSearch.

Key Practice Areas of InterSearch in Oman – strengths in these domains that set us apart from competition.

We are generalists but have particular recruitment expertise in the areas including Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals, Renewable Energy and Mining, Banking & Finance and Investment, Engineering, Construction & Development, Diversified Family Companies and Conglomerates, manufacturing, Logistics and Distribution, Consumer Goods and IT & Telecommunications.

Our major strength is that we are the only international company based in Oman. We understand the local markets as well as have staffs who know which Omanis are available locally as well as overseas. We also have both Omani and expatriate professionals based locally who have worked in a number of countries.

The other major strength is that we can call upon our partner companies worldwide should we particularly want to target candidates in a particular country or sector. Our staff who are based locally have specific expertise in designated areas.

As a result, we have become the preferred choice in the industry in Oman.  As we have worked with many leading names in the market including the multi nationals as well as the Omani companies (listed, privately held as well as public sector entities) with a high degree of success and client satisfaction, we get quite a decent share of our business through referrals. Thanks to our strong and proven credentials, we are on top of the minds of the discerning clients with increased frequency.

Key issues in recruitment industry in Oman

The key issues are mainly in companies which are not used to using retained executive search companies as they do not fully appreciate the amount of time required to fulfill a search. We therefore have to convince such companies on the benefits of using executive search technique as well as the loss of opportunities of not having that high caliber staff in the vacant or newly created position.

The recent reduction in oil price has affected many companies. They are reluctant to recruit new staff or replace existing ones for higher caliber expertise because of the cost constraints in their organization although they require that expertise to enable them to optimize their costs or expand into new business streams.

Changing recruitment landscape in Oman – how to adapt to changing dynamics

The market has shrunk and the competition has become stiffer, however,  we have succeeded in establishing a high reputation of providing professional and effective services for our clients. More and more companies are becoming aware of the difference between Retained Executive Search and Contingent Recruitment.

Future of recruiting with the emergence of digital ecosystem

There are various methods of recruiting staff and the emergence of digital systems has helped in a way in identifying potential candidates but that alone is not sufficient. Clients require more information on candidates than what is on the internet on various social networking tools.

The kind of CEO’s in demand in Oman

During the boom phase, there was comparatively less action in terms of changes at the top.  Many CEOs continued to be in the pole position for years; even decades in some cases and the boards didn’t feel the need for a change.  But the drop in oil prices has changed the scenario. The boards are re-strategizing and seeking a change in the direction. They are looking for candidates who could relate to their new vision, and have the experience and skills to bring that change.  Now apart from the mandatory leadership and operational skills, senior executives with excellent relationships with banks and investment firms, having good understanding of raising finance in a cost-effective manner, more commercial orientation and of course, having the ability and proven credentials to motivate the team to perform under adverse circumstances and align with the business transformation journey, are most sought after.             Many a times, we see the second-in-command with a strong profile on the above lines and the aspiration to move up the ladder as the preferred choice for the top position.

Omanisation – harness the youth power for productive purposes and sustainable growth                

Omanisation is about competence development and we have to start from the school stage to ensure we get youngsters with perfect blend of talent and attitude who could be trained for specific skills when they grow up. In my professional experience of over four decades across companies and functions,  I have seen that whenever we have provided proper training and mentored in the right manner, talent has flourished.  The oil & gas sector and to certain extent, Banking, Finance and Investment (BFI) sectors have excelled on this front. But other sectors, in general, have not done enough on this front.  Take construction sector for example. Invariable we see Omanis working in functions, say admin, HR or finance only. . Very few Omanis are in the frontline. There are few isolated success stories there but the sector on the whole has not invested enough in training and mentoring the talent. This is the story of the sector which contributes maximum to the employment market in terms of number of jobs. We need to sacrifice a part of our bottom line to build the talent in a systematic manner.

Advice to the youngsters who are seeking employment opportunities

See, it is a challenging time from the economy’s perspective. We all need to be reasonable in our expectations. Sam applies to the youngsters who are seeking specific employment opportunities. If they can’t find a job which meets their expectations or in sync with their qualifications, they need to be more flexible. No point in waiting endlessly for that dream job to come your way. There have been many examples where people have moved from one stream to another if they are unable to get the desired breakthroughs or their destiny has taken them to a different path. Take my caser as an example,  I’m a Mathematician by qualification but I moved on to IT and HR quite early in my professional journey.

The government is making efforts to diversify the economy which is going to lead towards creation of jobs in new areas. “Tanfeedh” is a commendable Omani government initiative which is driving focus on select key industries such as Manufacturing, Tourism and Logistics and the youngsters could channelize their energies to take advantage of opportunities that are going to arise in these high growth industries.

Original Source : United Arab Emirates – InterSearch Middle East FZ-LLC